"...To me, it seems the law was not manipulated to suite one person's aims, but it functioned as it was supposed to."
If you think the parents should have no say and the estranged husband should have complete power then you perhaps have an agenda too. You are strangely selective in what you view as "insensitive".
You need to see the timeline of Terri's case. Michael was an incredibly good caretaker for years. The hospitals and nursing homes threatened him with restraining orders he was so aggressive in getting top care for Terri. That's why there are nurses saying things against him - they are the ones that didn't like being pressured to give more care. I also believe that Michael has never abandoned Terri and is pushing for her wishes. I think he is a lout, but one that is honoring what Terri would want. I do not believe parents have a right or a say in what happens to their children after marriage. I believe the fundamental care and responsibility lies with the spouse. Neither my wife, nor I would want to cede responsibility to our in laws in case of tragedy and we certainly would not want the government coming in as a third party.
The point I'm trying to make is that this is a nsty, nasty fight between family members. You can't find worse fights than those. The Schindlers are the ones that have been going to court over and over and over. And they have not produced any solid evidence that they should be guardians of Terri against Michael's wishes.